Skip to content

protégé

protégé, favourite

noun pro-teh-ZHEH Rare

Usage Note

Protégé entered English directly from French and still carries a French flavour in both languages. It refers to a person guided and supported by a more powerful patron. The feminine form is protégée (with a double e). The verb protéger means to protect.

Examples

"C'est le protégé du directeur."

Natural Translation

He is the director's protégé.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic